UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that hostile actions, characterized as state-sponsored terrorism, necessitate direct military-to-military contact beyond standard embassy channels. London's lack of high-level engagement leaves it trailing partners like France, Germany, and the United States, who have maintained direct talks with Russian officials. Meanwhile, recent dangerous incidents include encounters involving a Russian warship in the Channel and an aircraft operating near the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. Separately, Streeting cautioned European Union leaders that excluding British firms from bloc defence procurement under proposed rules could ultimately weaken NATO.
Key points
Moscow has rebuffed London's recent diplomatic overtures to re-establish senior military-…: Moscow has rebuffed London's recent diplomatic overtures to re-establish senior military-to-military backchannels.
The United Kingdom lags behind allies like the United States and France in maintaining di…: The United Kingdom lags behind allies like the United States and France in maintaining direct communications with Moscow.
British officials argue that proposed European Union procurement rules risk undermining N…: British officials argue that proposed European Union procurement rules risk undermining NATO cohesion by excluding non-EU allies.
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Britain and Russia should establish fresh lines of communication, particularly between their military establishments, to reduce the risk of a miscalculation amid rising tensions, UK defence secretary Wes Streeting has said. He warned that Moscow's alleged state-sponsored terrorism and growing hostile activities against Britain make direct communication increasingly important.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT), Streeting said Britain should have additional channels of contact with Moscow beyond its embassy, including direct military-to-military communication.
“We have our embassy in Moscow. That is an important channel . . . I would much prefer there to be additional channels too, particularly military-to-military level,” he told the newspaper.
“There is always a risk of miscalculation and that’s why having that direct communication is important.”
The remarks come as Britain seeks to restore diplomatic and defence communication with Russia but has so far faced resistance from Moscow. UK officials said London had attempted to reopen backchannels with senior Russian defence officials, but its efforts had been rebuffed.
“Right now, it feels that miscalculation is a greater risk than a deliberate move to escalate,”…
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